Done deal: GE completes its acquisition of Alstom’s power and grid businesses

When GE announced its intention to buy Alstom more than a year and a half ago it was unlikely many, if any, industry veterans doubted the industrial behemoth would not seal the deal, which finally happened early last month (Nov 2, 2015). The process stretched out as competitors, unions, government agencies in 20 countries and regions, and others jockeyed to be heard and to influence the proceedings.

Interestingly, after daily blow-by-blow coverage in the Wall Street Journal and other business papers during critical weeks of the negotiations, the public blather all but ceased a couple of days after the ink dried on the agreement. Integration of the two companies is underway and it could take years to achieve the goals Jeff Immelt, GE’s chairman and CEO, had in mind when the deal was struck. However, the restructuring is behind the curtain. The GE owner/operators of generation assets knew before the acquisition is the same company today. GE representatives stressed this to their customers at recent user group meetings; it’s business as usual going forward.

Some facts of interest to power generators that may have been missed in the hailstorm of press releases:

• GE Power & Water and Alstom Power have been combined to form GE Power, headquartered in Schenectady. The 65,000-person organization, headed by President/CEO Steve Bolze, has a presence in more than 150 countries and estimated annual revenue of $30 billion. Recall that GE Power was headquartered in Schenectady before moving to Atlanta and later changing its name to GE Power & Water. Everything old is new again.

• GE Power is divided into these six business units:

  • Gas Power Systems, headquartered in Schenectady and led by Joe Mastrangelo.

  • Power Services, Baden (Switzerland), Paul McElhinney.

  • Steam Power Systems, Baden, Andreas Lusch.

  • Distributed Power, Jenbach (Austria), Lorraine Bolsinger.

  • Water & Process Technologies, Trevose (Pa), Heiner Markhoff.

  • GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Wilmington (NC), Jay Wileman.

• The Distributed Power business unit focuses on distributed-power and CHP applications involving Waukesha and Jenbacher engines. Prior to the Alstom acquisition, this unit also had responsibility for GE’s LM engine product lines which the editors have been told are now are part of the Gas Power Systems portfolio.

• Ansaldo Energia reported it had signed a binding agreement with GE to acquire certain Alstom assets as directed by regulatory authorities in the European Union and US. Most significant among these acquisitions for power generators served by CCJ ONsite is PSM. Important: As part of the agreement, Ansaldo would license to GE, PSM’s intellectual property for Siemens and Mitsubishi gas turbines, and also for those portions of Alstom’s heavy-duty gas business being retained by GE. This deal, according to Ansaldo, is expected to close early in 2016 following receipt of required regulatory approvals.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, recent announcements

• Iberdrola SA orders two M501J gas turbines and one steam turbine for the 850-MW Noreste combined-cycle plant that the Spanish firm is building for Mexico’s CFE in Escobedo, Nuevo Leon. COD is expected in July 2018.

• More than five dozen industry leaders representing electric utilities, IPPs, developers, investment bankers, and lenders tour MHPS’s Savanah Machinery works to celebrate the start of production on the first J-series turbine to be manufactured in the US. The unit is slated for installation at Grand River Dam Authority’s Grand River Energy Center in Oklahoma; COD is planned for 2Q/2017. Seven more M501Js are expected to roll off the SMW assembly line in the next year. The OEM says the M501J is the world’s most efficient (more than 61% in a combined-cycle arrangement) and reliable gas turbine; 17 of these engines already are in service at six powerplants worldwide.

• Virginia Electric & Power Co orders three M501J gas turbines and one steam turbine for its 1600-MW, 3 × 1 Greensville County Power Station, pending regulatory approval of the project. Project completion is planned for yearend 2018.

• The two-shaft H-80, a 100-MW-class engine, is renamed the H-100 to more accurately reflected its rated capacity. Other engines in the product line are the H-25 (28-42 MW) and the soon-to-be-released H-50 (nominal 50 MW). There are more than 200 H-series GTs in operation or under contract.

Siemens, recent announcements

• Panda Power Funds orders the power island for its 1124-MW Hummel Station, a combined cycle slated for early-2018 operation in Snyder County, Pa. Package includes three SGT6-5000 gas turbines with air-cooled generators, one SST6-5000 steam turbine with hydrogen-cooled generator, three NEM DrumPlus heat-recovery steam generators, and SPPA-T3000 control system.

• A consortium of Spanish and Mexican companies order two SGT6-8000H gas turbines and an SST6-5000 steamer, together with a T3000 control system, for a new combined cycle in Acolman, Mexico. COD is scheduled for December 2017.

• Tim Holt is appointed CEO of the Power & Gas Services Business Unit within Siemens Power Generation Services Div, based in Orlando.

• Recently released RB211-GT30 for either 50- or 60-Hz application is optimized to accommodate the needs of oil-and-gas industry customers—offshore applications, in particular. Recall that Siemens recently purchased from Rolls-Royce the company’s land-based engine portfolio.

• First 10-MW-class steam turbine operating almost entirely without lubricants successfully completes its trial run in BFP-drive service at a Vattenfall lignite-fired station in Germany’s Brandenburg state. Oil-free bearings are of the air-cooled, electromagnetic type. Only valve actuators require a minimal amount of oil to ensure reliable turbine operation.

• GT-800 gas turbine is upgraded to produce up to 53 MW at 39% efficiency in simple-cycle operation. In a 2 × 1 combined-cycle configuration, output is 150 MW at 56% efficiency with a DLN combustion system capable of holding NOx emissions below 15 ppm.

Inspection guide for drum-level instrumentation

The 2016 edition of “Boiler Inspection Guidelines for Drum Level Instrumentation,” issued by Clark-Reliance Corp, concisely presents inspection requirements for ease of reference by O&M personnel. The basis for the seemingly indestructible, spiral-bound 5.5 × 8 in. book is Section I of the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code. It includes requirements for water columns, water gage valves, gage glass, remote level indicators, magnetic water-level gages and water-column isolation shutoff valves. The information is up-to-date and incorporates 2015 Code changes, and recommendations from Section 7. Additionally, the guidebook lists the most common non-compliant drum-level equipment arrangements and recommended solutions. The book is free to qualified recipients.

NV Energy. This announcement fell behind the desk and just found: Around mid-year Josh Langdon was appointed manager of maintenance for the company’s Walter M Higgins Generating Station in Primm.

TEServices opens registration for its next Metallurgical Aspects of IGT Component Repair training course, Jan 12-14, 2016 at the Spring Hill Suites by Marriott in Seabrook, Tex. The editors give this workshop a “two thumbs up” and recommend it to plant personnel responsible for writing hot-section repair specs and for following work through repair shops. Contact Hans van Esch for more information.

Ludeca Inc has been recognized by the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals as an approved provider of continuing education and training. Visit the company’s website for training courses on shaft alignment and balancing.

Oil Filtration Systems LLC announces a significant expansion of its rental fleet of oil and fuel purification equipment now with more than 100 systems available for immediate mobilization. The company recently moved into a new and expanded manufacturing facility and announced the opening of an online store for ordering replacement filter elements.

ESCO Tools announces the availability of a pneumatic saw and pipe trolley system that stabilizes the saw for a perfectly square cut on pipe up to 60 in. diam of any schedule. No special operator training is required.

MISTRAS/Triple 5 Industries hand-held leak detection system, SteamPAC™, identifies and quantifies through-valve loss of normally closed steam valves while your plant is in operation. The ability to quantify the magnitude of the leak is vital for prioritizing maintenance activities. Instrument can store readings and wirelessly transfer them to a computer for trend analysis.

CLARCOR Industrial Air launches a new website that seamlessly integrates its industrial business segments on a common platform.

Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas introduces the portable, rugged, “intuitive” EPOCH 650 digital ultrasonic flaw detector.